Mediation can help settle complex divorces fairly

On behalf of McBride & Drinkwine, LLC posted in high-asset divorce on Friday, March 10, 2017.

If you're facing a divorce involving significant and complex assets, you might think that divorce mediation will not be helpful, but this doesn't have to be the case. In fact, high-asset divorces can greatly benefit from divorce mediation.

Traditionally litigated divorce regularly features two separate legal teams fighting over every asset a couple holds, often depleting those same assets greatly in the process. In a divorce mediation, a legal professional helps couples reach fair agreements about asset and liability division, and even parenting and child custody - all in a setting that promotes fair, reasonable compromise.

Maybe you are a business owner, or have an above-average income. In a traditional divorce scenario, you spouse's attorney may see your assets as targets to attack and dissect, without caring about what is fair to either of you.

A good mediator comes to the table with years of experience and understanding in valuing complex assets, while knowing how to promote fair agreements where everyone compromises in reasonable ways, and everyone wins.

Your divorce does not have to be a battlefield

When there is a great deal of money on the line in a divorce, people can get a little crazy. Maybe it's you, or your spouse, or outside family members and business partners. The truth of the matter is that no divorce is free, and if you have significant assets, the court will likely require that you part with some of them - after all, a divorce is the legal dissolution of a business relationship.

However, the experience can be fair and amicable, if you are willing to make it a priority. Your instincts may tell you that now is the time to fight for your life, to pull out all the stops and burn your spouse to the ground. Unfortunately, this approach often ends up being more costly in the long run than beginning your divorce from a place of respect and reason.

If you think that your marriage is simply not a viable candidate for mediation, you should at least consider meeting with a mediator who can professionally evaluate your circumstances and give you a proper appraisal.

There is a high likelihood that your divorce can be successfully mediated, leaving both you and your spouse in a good position to move forward to a new season of life and avoiding the wars of attrition that usually end up being the most costly.

Build a team that understands how everyone can win and move on

Divorce has a way of drawing out strange and dangerous behavior in spouses, people who might otherwise be reasonable. By choosing divorce mediation for your high-asset divorce, you can set the tone and take control of the process before it spirals out of control.

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